


And I Thought Only Small Boys Were Afraid

by End_Transmission



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Semi-AU with no defined universe, TW: Teasing because of those fears?, TW: Thunderstorm fears, Thunderstorms and phobias, could be some slash if you want?, like one swear word, up to interpretation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 06:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10078355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/End_Transmission/pseuds/End_Transmission
Summary: Angus Mcdonald, eleven year old boy detective, is most definitely not afraid of a little thunderstorm! After all, he's a big boy. Of course, considering the biggest boy of all is also afraid of thunderstorms, maybe he should stop being so hard on himself.Alternatively: A poor elven wizard is beset upon by two very afraid friends in the early morning hours. Really, he's only mildly annoyed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all!   
> So, this is my first attempt at a little one-shot in one of my new favorite fandoms. I apologize in advance if anyone comes off too OOC...I love these boys to death, but I'm just not sure how good I am at actually characterizing them without either going overboard or being way off the mark. Hopefully you like the piece though! 
> 
> There's some "friendly" teasing and self-deprecation based around being afraid of thunderstorms. Please note that these attitudes don't reflect my own...I'm actually pretty afraid of them myself, so I certainly don't see it as being a 'little kid' thing! 
> 
> Also, this is kind of a non-defined AU, I guess? There's talk of a house and lights, but also Taako still being a wizard so. It's kind of vague, but I think it works. Really, the kind of universe and whether the Taako/Magnus interaction is in any way shippy is up to interpretation, and that's the way I want it. Just a simple, thunderstorm story. What can I say? It's a classic!

Angus McDonald was an eleven year old boy. And, being an eleven year old boy, he was not supposed to be afraid of things much littler boys were afraid of. He could be (and was) afraid of big boy things, like fighting and danger and losing people you care about. But little things, like the storm currently raging outside of his bedroom? Only little children were afraid of things like that. So Angus McDonald, brave eleven year old boy detective that he was, was definitely _not_ afraid of the storm.

He was not afraid of the way the wind was howling as if the house were in a wind tunnel, or the loud creaking of the trees (so loud he was just _sure_ one would fall over any minute now). He certainly wasn’t afraid of the ominous shadows cast by bolts of lightning, shadows that were dancing through the windows and his room. He was a big boy. He was _the_ boy detective. He was independent and much more mature than other children. He was not afraid. He was not.

Then, the lights very suddenly went out, and the building was plunged into darkness, broken only by the occasional bright flash of lightning. And Angus couldn’t lie to himself anymore.

In truth, he was out of bed and moving long before his mind caught up with his actions. It was so hard, after all, to think clearly over the _thud thud thud thud_ of his heart and the roaring in his ears. It was right about when his hand was resting against the closed door in front of him that he stopped, logic finally coming back into play.

What did he think was going to happen? That he’d go in and blabber on about how afraid he was and then…what? His guardian was not exactly what Angus would call ‘comforting.’ Let alone ‘understanding’ especially of young boys barging into his room at nearly two in the morning. And worse, he’d almost certainly tell the other two about Angus barging in babbling like a baby. True, Magnus might not be _too_ insufferable, but Merle would never let him live it down. He might even tell his own kids about it, and _they’d_ never let him live it down either.

No, no. It was a much better idea for this boy detective to go back to bed. Huddle under his covers and, well, he didn’t know, shiver until the storm finally passed? Or maybe he’d do some reading, try to lose himself deep in a book. Reading. In the dark.

Okay, so maybe not his best thought ever.

The truth was, though, that it didn’t matter what he did. What he couldn’t do was what he was primed to do right in this moment. He couldn’t turn to his mentor, his guardian, a certain irate high elf wizard who would just be furious at being woken from his beauty sleep-

At a sudden creak and crash, surely one of those trees losing the good fight, Angus found himself throwing the door open with a terrified cry of “Taako, sir!”

He was shocked right out of his terror, however, at the sight awaiting him in the room.

Because he wasn’t the first one to seek the wizard’s company on this stormy night.

Taako was sitting up in his bed, silk pajamas a bit ruffled, hair a little less perfect than normal, and his arms crossed in an unconvincing show of annoyance. The reason for the annoyance was not, in fact, the small detective boy. It was the self-proclaimed ‘ruff boi’ who was also sitting on the bed, on top of the covers, and who currently had Taako’s upper half wrapped up in what was probably quite literally a bear hug.  

“What’s cookin’ bub?” Taako asked, looking at him with sleepy, only mildly irate, amusement, “heard about our impromptu sleepover, huh?”

“U-um…not really…Magnus, sir, what are you doing in here?” Angus asked, looking between them.

“What’s it look like, Ango?” Magnus replied, and Angus could have sworn there was something _defensive?_ about his voice, “Just chillin’ with my good wizard friend Taako. Sleepover, like he said, you know?”

“Oh, okay,” Angus said, not believing it for a second but in way over his head and feeling very awkward and uncertain now, “well I’m very sorry to interrupt your sleepover, sirs! I hope it is very, very fun and that I’ll see you in the morning!” He began backing out of the room, biting at his lip.

There was another very sudden, very loud roar of thunder. Taken by surprise and scared all over again, Angus jumped violently and let out a cry. He was further surprised, though, when that cry was echoed by Magnus, who just like that was now nearly crushing Taako in his grasp.

“Oh this is some bullshit,” Taako grumbled. “Well? Get over here Agnes, all aboard the Taako hug bus, I guess.”

“Your name goof is as funny as ever sir, but I think I should go back to my room now and leave you guys alone ‘cause you seem very busy and-“

“Angus,” Taako said, his voice getting as near to serious as the very un-serious wizard could get, “climb on up here, squeeze your way into the big guy’s arms here, and lets just accept that you two are without a doubt the two biggest babies I’ve ever known. ‘Cause if you go back to your room, my man, you’re just gonna be back here in like twenty minutes and I’d really just like to get some sleep, you dig?”

Angus bit his lip a little harder, moving out of the doorway and closer to the bed, looking a bit curiously at Magnus now.

“You’re…you’re afraid of the storm too?” He asked, “I thought I was very silly for being afraid, cause I’m eleven years old and a big boy! But…”

“I’m not afraid of a stupid storm, Angus-“

“Oh, you’re definitely very silly kiddo,” Taako broke in, “in fact you both are. And, as is good life advice in general, don’t listen to Mr. ‘The Hammer’ here. For all his blabbering about ‘just checking in on you, Taako!’ and ‘well, I wasn’t tired anyway so I thought I’d keep you company,’ truth is Magnus here is just as afraid as you are of this storm, my dude. So I guess you’re in good company. Now, you getting over here or not? Cause you’re about two seconds from getting locked out instead.”

Angus yelped lightly, and then hurried across the rest of the distance between him and the bed. He clambered on and over to the two men and, as Taako had said, began to maneuver himself into the middle of their very one-sided hug. A small part of him was relieved and even delighted to feel Magnus loosen his grasp slightly to let him in.

It was…well, it was surprisingly warm. Most of that was because of Magnus, whose huge arms were now wrapped securely around Angus. But the force of his hold had Angus pushed up against Taako too. And for someone as wispy as Taako, the elf put off a surprising amount of warmth.  And if Angus wasn’t very much mistaken, it was Taako’s hand that rested carefully on the top of his head.

“Alright now, kid?” Taako asked, making Angus smile very lightly to himself. Somehow, the sounds of the storm, still ongoing fiercely, were just a little more far away now.

“Yes sir,” he answered.

With a bit of maneuvering, the three boys got themselves laid down, snuggly tangled under the covers. Well. Angus and Magnus tangled, Taako more of a begrudging tag-along. 

Angus didn’t sleep right away, and he wasn’t sure Magnus had fallen asleep either, but a soft, consistent breathing told him that Taako had fallen quickly back into dreamland. The calmness of the elf went a long way to making Angus feel even calmer himself, and he too began to drift off.

“Ah-ha. Knew I’d find you boys here, bunch of cowards you are.”

The three boys currently occupying Taako’s bed each jerked slightly at the sound of Merle’s haggard voice coming from the doorway.

A beat passed.

“Got room for one more in there?”

Angus giggled as Taako let out a long, suffering groan.

**Author's Note:**

> And there it is! I hope you enjoyed it, short as it was. Just a little plot bunny I bopped out of my ear.
> 
> Shameless plug for my tumblr at Pyroweasel.tumblr.com. Lots of McElroy stuff there right now, but over all it's kind of a smorgasbord of lots of things. So, you know, check it out if you want. Or don't if you don't. 
> 
> If you did like this piece, keep an eye out because I may post more pieces here and there in the TAZ fandom. I already have an idea in mind, so we'll see if it pans out.
> 
> End_Transmission


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